Gertrud Schiller

Gertrud Schiller (7 January 1905 – 4 December 1994) was a German art historian, nurse, social pedagogue and Lutheran teacher of religion. Despite not having a doctorate in art history, she wrote what remains a standard work on Christian iconography. Schiller received an honorary doctorate from the Kirchliche Hochschule Berlin in 1979.^[1]

Life

Schiller was born on 7 January 1905 in Beerbach (now part of Lauf an der Pegnitz), the daughter of the pastor and later dean Wilhelm Heinrich Schiller and his wife Elise Anna Margaretha Schiller, née Kübel. She grew up in Beerbach and Augsburg.

From 1915 she attended the Höhere Mädchenschule [de], Stetten-Institut. As a woman, she was not permitted higher education. During First World War, she suffered the death of cousins and uncles. In 1923, she attended a household school (Haushaltsschule) in Munich and then learned nursing care at the municipal hospital in Augsburg.

In 1927, Schiller decided to pursue the then new profession of social pedagogue and therefore went to Frankfurt. She chose the topic "Adult Education and Elementary Schools" for her exam to enter. During her training she held a six-month internship at the welfare office (Wohlfahrtsamt) in Marburg, which was also responsible for the youth welfare office (Jugendbehörde) in Hamburg at the time. After her training, she accepted a job at the Protestant Church in Hamburg [de] and moved there in 1928.

Two years later she became a civil servant. In 1930 she became director of the Clemens-Schulz-Heims in Kuddewörde. Under the Nazi regime, schools had to supply their own instructions in religion. She took a course to qualify at the Johannesstift [de] in Spandau. At this time, she became interested in medieval art on display at the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum.

In 1944, Schiller gave religious instruction in Franconian Switzerland, but lived in Bamberg. She encouraged young theologians and artists at the Kirchliche Hochschule. She suggested establishing an office for advising congregations on artistic matters.^[2] From 1946 to 1969, Schiller was head of the church art service, an office of the Lutheran Church in Hamburg.^[2] In 1979, was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Kirchliche Hochschule Berlin.^[3]

In 1994 she died in Grafrath, and was buried in Augsburg.

Works

Her standard work on Christian iconography, Ikonographie der christlichen Kunst, was published in a total of seven volumes in German, from 1966 to 1993 - in effect this was five volumes, but in the last two the text and illustrations were bound separately. A second edition, slightly revised, was published in German. The first two volumes only have been translated into English, by Janet Seligman, using the revised edition. These were published as Iconography of Christian Art in 1971 and 1972 by Lund Humphries in London and the New York Graphical Society in New York.

Ikonographie der christlichen Kunst. 5 (7) volumes and register. Mohn, Gütersloh, from 1966. (In English: Iconography of Christian Art 2 vol. Translated by Janet Seligman. Lund Humphries, London, from 1971.)
- Band 1: Inkarnation, Kindheit, Taufe, Versuchung, Verklärung, Wirken und Wunder Christi. 1966 (third, revised ed. 1981, ISBN 3-579-04135-5 Search this book on .) (In English: Christ's Incarnation, Childhood, Baptism, Temptation, Transfiguration, Works and Miracles. 1971)
- Band 2: Die Passion Jesu Christi. 1968 (2nd, revised ed. 1983, ISBN 3-579-04136-3 Search this book on .) (In English: The Passion of Jesus Christ. 1972 ISBN 0-85331-324-5 Search this book on .)
- Band 3: Die Auferstehung und Erhöhung Christi. 1971 ISBN 3-579-04137-1 Search this book on . (2nd, revised ed. 1986)
- Band 4, 1: Die Kirche. 1976 ISBN 3-579-04138-X Search this book on . (2nd, revised ed. 1988)
- Band 4, 2: Maria. 1980 ISBN 3-579-04139-8 Search this book on .
- Band 5, 1: Die Apokalypse des Johannes. Text. 1990 ISBN 3-579-00261-9 Search this book on .
- Band 5, 2: Die Apokalypse des Johannes. Images 1991 ISBN 3-579-00262-7 Search this book on .
- Register to volumes 1 – 4,2. By Rupert Schreiner. 1980.

Other works

In 1938 she published a book in three volumes, titled Images of the Bible (Easter, Christmas, Encounters with Christ) at the Atlantis Verlag [de], which were published in the second edition by the Johannes Stauda-Verlag in Kassel.

In 1941, two further volumes, The Passion of Christ and Creation were also published there. Following a review by Wilhelm Stählin, the Caritasverband requested Schiller to set up an iconographic library. In Freiburg she got in touch with Reinhold Schneider. At the end of the war, she wrote Das Licht scheint in der Finsternis, which was published in 1946 by Johannes-Stauda-Verlag.^[2]

Hamburgs neue Kirchen, 1951–1961. Christians, Hamburg 1961.
Die Offenbarung des Johannes. Farbige Bilder aus der Bamberger Apokalypse um 1020. Wittig, Hamburg 1955 (Also: (= Frühmittelalterliche Buchmalerei. Vol. 10, ZDB-ID 847783-8). Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Berlin 1970)
Die Boten Gottes. Stauda, Kassel 1951
Bericht über die Tätigkeit des Kirchlichen Kunstdienstes von 1946–1951. Kirchl. Kunstdienst, Hamburg 1951.
as ed. Martin Schongauer: Die Passion Christi. Kupferstiche (= Meister der Graphik. Vol. 6 ZDB-ID 251934-3). Introduction by Gertrud Schiller. Wegner, Hamburg 1948.
Das Licht scheint in der Finsternis. Die Weihnachtsbotschaft verkündet in Wort, Bild und Lied. Stauda, Kassel 1946 (2nd ed. 1950)
as ed.: Bilder zur Bibel. Das Wort der Heiligen Schrift dargestellt in Meisterwerken der Kunst. In 6 parts. Atlantis-Verlag et al, Berlin et al. from 1938.
- Part 1: Ostern. Atlantis-Verlag, Berlin et al. 1938
- Part 2: Begegnungen. Atlantis-Verlag, Berlin et al. 1938
- Part 3: Weihnachten. Atlantis-Verlag, Berlin et al. 1938
- Parts 4/5: Das Leiden Christi. Atlantis-Verlag, Berlin et al. 1939
- Part 6: Schöpfung. Stauda, Kassel 1941

References

↑ Sorensen, Lee, ed. "Schiller, Gertrud." In Dictionary of Art Historians. Retrieved April 30, 2019, online; Leyerle, John (ed), Medieval Christian Literary Imagery: A Guide to Interpretation, p.92, 1988, University of Toronto Press, ISBN 0802066631 Search this book on ., 9780802066633.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Haerter, Berthold W.; Stolt, Peter. "Die Vorgänger des Kirchlichen Kunstdienstes in Hamburg" (in 84). University of Hamburg. p. 84. Retrieved 30 April 2019.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
↑ Author Database^{[dead link]}

External links

Literature by and about Gertrud Schiller in the German National Library catalogue

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[1] Sorensen, Lee, ed. "Schiller, Gertrud." In Dictionary of Art Historians. Retrieved April 30, 2019, online; Leyerle, John (ed), Medieval Christian Literary Imagery: A Guide to Interpretation, p.92, 1988, University of Toronto Press, ISBN 0802066631 Search this book on ., 9780802066633.

[Haerter-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Haerter, Berthold W.; Stolt, Peter. "Die Vorgänger des Kirchlichen Kunstdienstes in Hamburg" (in 84). University of Hamburg. p. 84. Retrieved 30 April 2019.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)

[3] Author Database^{[dead link]}

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